Remote Sensing and GIS for Modelling Green Roofs Potential at Different Urban Scales

Urban greening is an essential dimension of sustainable urban development. Through green planning, cities can develop strategies towards climate change and mitigation actions and reduce emissions. This chapter aims to evaluate the combined use of remote sensing data and GIS to produce different levels of sustainable indicators, starting from the city level to the neighborhood and the building levels. Green roofs can be part of the solution through the ecosystem services provided. Its benefits are evaluated for the different urban scales through scenario analysis. The impact in the outdoor thermal comfort is assessed at the neighborhood level, while the overall potential to improve energy efficiency is evaluated at the building level. The methodology is implemented in the city of Lisbon, Portugal through a pilot case study. The results can provide rationales for the city when formulating new incentives to encourage the uptake of green roofs in Lisbon.